Summer has grown up in the shadow of her older sister
Shannon. Shannon the great student. Shannon the success.
Unfortunately, Shannon died before summer was even born
(she suspects she is a replacement child, and the she never
would have been born if Shannon hadn't been in that car
accident). That makes it even harder to live up to
everyone's perfect memories of a sister who isn't around to
make mistakes.
But when she turns seventeen, Summer's Aunt Nic gives her
an unexpected gift -- the journal that Shannon kept in the
months before she died. Summer starts to find out that
maybe her perfect sister wasn't perfect after all -- and
that neither was their family. She's not sure whether she
wants to find out some of the more shattering secrets, but
once she starts, she can't leave the diary unfinished. She
starts talking to people who knew Shannon, lancing open
wounds that can finally begin to heal.
Summer's family has an exceptionally strong hold on their
grief. Based on their reactions, it felt like Shannon's
death had happened only a few years ago, rather than nearly
two decades. It is this inability to move on, or to
actively cope with the grief -- especially on the part of
her mother -- that has Summer so alienated from life around
her.
In THEN I MET MY SISTER, Summer sometimes seems impossibly
wise, especially as she watches Shannon's agonies unfold on
the page. Yet, most of the time, the characters are real
and quirky, and it is easy to get caught up in their
lives. The best part of the story is the relationship
between Summer and her best friend Gibs. At first Gibs
urges Summer to investigate the diary, but as Summer gets
sucked into the trauma of the past, he's the one who's
there to help her keep one foot in the present.